Reporters' Notebook: March 5, 2012

A website launched by the state has newspaper executives expecting another blow to revenues.
The site, which went fully functional Feb. 3, enables the free posting of government public notices. Its development was motivated by local governments and schools asking for relief from the cost of publishing public notices, state officials said.
Andrew R. Dix, president of the Internet division of Dix Communications, called the anticipated impact to revenues another concerning challenge. Dix Communications publishes several newspapers in Ohio, including The Record-Courier in Ravenna.
“The newspaper industry has been under duress now for a number of years,” Mr. Dix said, citing the economy and the digital evolution. “This is another area that doesn't help us out.”
Public notices that only are required to be published once are not affected. However, Ohio entities may reduce their costs with notices that must be posted more than once, as the subsequent notices may be summarized and refer people to the new website.
The impact will vary a lot, but the Ohio Newspaper Association's rough estimate is that a newspaper could experience a revenue decline of 20% to 40% in public notices, depending on what government advertisers decide to do and the types of notices involved, said Dennis R. Hetzel, the association's executive director.
Revenues from public postings are a fairly small percentage of the Record-Courier's overall advertising revenue, but still are important, Mr. Dix said.
Newspapers are an important, independent vehicle for delivering public notices, Mr. Dix said. He compared government entities posting public notices on a government website to “kind of like the fox guarding the henhouse here.” — Michelle Park

A presidential endorsement

Once again, President Barack Obama is giving the Cleveland Clinic high marks.
During a gala late last month honoring the 70th birthday of Muhammad Ali, President Obama used a short, pre-taped message to laud the famed boxer — and the Northeast Ohio health care juggernaut — for inspiring so many during his fight against Parkinson's disease.
“Now it's helped you've had some incredible folks in your corner,” President Obama said in the short message. “That's why we're also celebrating the men and women of the Cleveland Clinic. The work you're doing is critical, and your country needs you.”
The gala raised funds for the Cleveland Clinic's Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas, which saw a lofty 76% increase in patient visits in 2011. Also, the center recently launched a study examining the long-term brain health of professional fighters.
In 2009, President Obama visited the Cleveland Clinic's main campus in Cleveland to showcase the health system as a model for health care delivery in the future. — Timothy Magaw

One strike and you're out

Let's hope the Cleveland Indians don't follow Jeff Stocker's lead this season.
Mr. Stocker, an Indians season-ticket account executive and the team's representative on MLB Network's “Baseball IQ” trivia show, bowed out in the first round of the bracketed tournament, to Craig Nordquist of the Minnesota Twins.
Answering list-based questions — i.e., name the men who have managed the California/Anaheim Angels — the duo went deep on a couple questions, but Mr. Nordquist “was just one answer ahead of me for most of the game,” Mr. Stocker said.
Mr. Stocker said he did little promotion of his appearance after his loss, but said he felt better after watching other contestants and felt he could have advanced with a different early matchup. The show, filmed in Secaucus, N.J., also allowed Mr. Stocker — a Canton native and North Canton resident — the opportunity to see New York City for the first time. — Joel Hammond